1959 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jack Brabham opened the 1959 F1 World Championship with a breakthrough victory on the streets of Monaco. Stirling Moss had the speed to win, but his Cooper‘s transmission gave way, leaving Brabham to claim his first championship success and the works Cooper team’s first Grand Prix victory.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Stirling Moss	Cooper
Pole time	1:39.600
Fastest lap	Jack Brabham	Cooper
Fastest-lap time	1:40.400 on lap 83
First	Jack Brabham	Cooper
Second	Tony Brooks	Ferrari
Third	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
7 May 1959	Thursday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
8 May 1959	Friday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
9 May 1959	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
10 May 1959	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The 1959 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Circuit de Monaco hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.

Race entries

Ferrari brought Tony Brooks, Jean Behra and Phil Hill, with Cliff Allison seeking a place in a Formula Two car. Cooper‘s works cars faced Rob Walker’s closely related machinery, while Porsche also entered the contest with smaller engines. Team Lotus arrived late after its transporter broke down, leaving Graham Hill and Pete Lovely with only the final afternoon to qualify.

Thursday timed practice

Monaco abandoned its familiar early starts in favour of three afternoon sessions. Cool, cloudy weather helped the drivers attack, and Moss and Behra quickly turned the opening session into a contest between Cooper and Ferrari. Brooks survived a spin in the tunnel after finding loose gravel while passing Bruce Halford. Moss eventually edged ahead, although his Cooper‘s lively behaviour under braking showed how hard he was working for the time.

Friday timed practice

Brabham emerged as a serious contender as the pace increased. His late improvement put him ahead of Moss and Behra, while gear selection occupied several teams: Moss tried the Cooper–BRM but returned to his Climax-powered car, and the Porsche drivers were still learning their transmissions. Phil Hill alternated between Ferraris as he learnt the circuit. Lotus remained absent, making Saturday’s final opportunity increasingly important.

Saturday final qualifying

Moss settled pole with a 1:39.6 lap, ahead of Behra and Brabham. Behind them, the struggle for sixteen starting places was fierce. Brabham spun at the Gasworks hairpin but resumed, while the newly arrived Lotus cars suffered hesitant carburation. Allison rescued his entry with a last-gasp improvement that displaced Ivor Bueb. Halford took the final place, leaving several drivers to watch despite a hard afternoon’s work.

Qualifying Classification

The fastest eligible lap across the three afternoon sessions determined qualification. Only sixteen cars could start; Formula Two entries competed for places alongside the Formula One cars.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	30	Stirling Moss	Cooper	1:39.600
2	46	Jean Behra	Ferrari	1:40.0
3	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper	1:40.1
4	50	Tony Brooks	Ferrari	1:41.0
5	48	Phil Hill	Ferrari	1:41.3
6	32	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper	1:41.7
7	18	Jo Bonnier	BRM	1:42.3
8	38	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	1:42.4
9	16	Harry Schell	BRM	1:43.0
10	20	Ron Flockhart	BRM	1:43.1
11	26	Masten Gregory	Cooper	1:43.2
12	6	Wolfgang von Trips	Porsche	1:43.8
13	22	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	1:43.9
14	40	Graham Hill	Lotus	1:43.9
15	52	Cliff Allison	Ferrari	1:44.4
16	44	Bruce Halford	Lotus	1:44.8
DNQ	34	Ivor Bueb	Cooper	1:44.9
DNQ	54	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati	1:45.0
DNQ	12	Alain de Changy	Cooper	1:45.4
DNQ	10	Lucien Bianchi	Cooper	1:45.4
DNQ	4	Maria Teresa de Filippis	Behra-Porsche	1:47.8
DNQ	42	Pete Lovely	Lotus	1:47.9
DNQ	14	Jean Lucienbonnet	Cooper	1:50.9
DNQ	56	André Testut	Maserati	1:59.1

What happened in the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix?

Behra launched into the lead, with Moss and Brabham close behind. Monaco immediately began thinning the field, and an early collision involving Wolfgang von Trips, Allison and Halford removed several of the smaller-engined challengers. Behra’s Ferrari later suffered engine trouble, putting Moss in command.

Moss appeared on course to turn pole into victory until transmission failure ended his afternoon. Brabham was ready to capitalise, keeping his works Cooper running strongly through the closing stages. Brooks chased in the surviving front-running Ferrari but could not erase the gap.

Brabham finished 20.4 seconds clear of Brooks, with Maurice Trintignant third in Rob Walker’s other Cooper. Phil Hill took fourth and Bruce McLaren fifth. Brabham also earned the fastest-lap point, making this an emphatic start to his championship campaign and a landmark day for Australia’s new Grand Prix winner.

After the race, Jack Brabham headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Tony Brooks on 6.

1959 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 1959 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 10 May 1959.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper	100	2:55:51.3	9
2	50	Tony Brooks	Ferrari	100	+ 20.4	6
3	32	Maurice Trintignant	Cooper	98	+ 2 laps	4
4	48	Phil Hill	Ferrari	97	+ 3 laps	3
5	22	Bruce McLaren	Cooper	96	+ 4 laps	2
6	38	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	83	+ 17 laps	0
Ret	30	Stirling Moss	Cooper	81	Transmission	0
Ret	20	Ron Flockhart	BRM	64	Spun off	0
Ret	16	Harry Schell	BRM	48	Accident	0
Ret	18	Jo Bonnier	BRM	44	Brakes	0
Ret	46	Jean Behra	Ferrari	24	Engine	0
Ret	40	Graham Hill	Lotus	21	Fire	0
Ret	26	Masten Gregory	Cooper	6	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Wolfgang von Trips	Porsche	1	Collision	0
Ret	52	Cliff Allison	Ferrari	1	Collision	0
Ret	44	Bruce Halford	Lotus	1	Collision	0
DNQ	34	Ivor Bueb	Cooper			0
DNQ	54	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati			0
DNQ	12	Alain de Changy	Cooper			0
DNQ	10	Lucien Bianchi	Cooper			0
DNQ	4	Maria Teresa de Filippis	Behra-Porsche			0
DNQ	42	Pete Lovely	Lotus			0
DNQ	14	Jean Lucienbonnet	Cooper			0
DNQ	56	André Testut	Maserati			0

Includes 1 point for fastest lap

1959 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper	83	1:40.400

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. One championship point was awarded for fastest lap, divided equally when shared.

1959 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix.

1959 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	9
2	Tony Brooks	British	Ferrari	6
3	Maurice Trintignant	French	Cooper	4
4	Phil Hill	American	Ferrari	3
5	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	Cooper	2
—	Roy Salvadori	British	Cooper	0
—	Stirling Moss	British	Cooper	0
—	Ron Flockhart	British	BRM	0
—	Harry Schell	American	BRM	0
—	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	BRM	0
—	Jean Behra	French	Ferrari	0
—	Graham Hill	British	Team Lotus	0
—	Masten Gregory	American	Cooper	0
—	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Porsche	0
—	Cliff Allison	British	Ferrari	0
—	Bruce Halford	British	Team Lotus	0

1959 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Cooper – Climax	8
2	Ferrari	6
—	Cooper – Maserati	0
—	BRM	0
—	Team Lotus	0
—	Porsche	0

Drivers counted their best 5 results. The first five places earned 8–6–4–3–2 points, with one further point for fastest lap, shared equally when necessary. Shared drives earned no championship points. Constructors also retained their best 5 results, scoring through only their highest-placed eligible car, without fastest-lap points. Indianapolis counted for drivers only.

1959 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1959 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	10 May
2	1959 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	30 May
3	1959 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	31 May
4	1959 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	5 July
5	1959 British Grand Prix	Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Liverpool	18 July
6	1959 German Grand Prix	AVUS, Berlin	2 August
7	1959 Portuguese Grand Prix	Monsanto Park Circuit, Lisbon	23 August
8	1959 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	13 September
9	1959 United States Grand Prix	Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida	12 December